


#LockedInLovers

by Amymel86



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: All The Tropes, Christmas, F/M, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-02-28 23:13:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13281918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amymel86/pseuds/Amymel86
Summary: "This doesn't look good at all" Sansa commented as she braced her hands on the windowsill and watched the furious flurry of snow. It must really be starting to pile up out there now, but all she can see is the dark of the evening and the snowfall raging where the streetlamps illuminate it. It had been almost an hour since they'd spoken to Mr Baelish and still they were waiting for news of their release from his store.OR the one where Sansa and Jon are locked in a big ol' department store over Christmas because of a convenient snow storm ;)





	#LockedInLovers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jonsasnow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jonsasnow/gifts), [kattyshack](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kattyshack/gifts), [vivilove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivilove/gifts), [chocolateghost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocolateghost/gifts), [myrish_lace](https://archiveofourown.org/users/myrish_lace/gifts), [qinaliel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/qinaliel/gifts), [GypsyMoon88](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GypsyMoon88/gifts).



> This one was meant to be for the 'snowed in trope' for the 12 Days of Shipping hosted by @jonxsansafanfiction over on tumblr, but it took me too long as I'm a bit stuck in a rut with my writing. Anyway, I'm posting it today on the 'fill day' - I really hope that you enjoy it!
> 
> Gifting to the lovely people listed for being super supportive to me of late! (@shinynewrevulsions I don't know if you have a AO3 account! Sorry!)

"Damn it!" Sansa muttered as she struggled to wiggle out of the the too-tight dress she'd been trying on in the changing-room cubicle. She started to sweat as she wrestled with the fabric which, on reflection was far too scratchy and not at all worth the price tag it came with as it wrapped around her clammy face. The bright lights weren't helping either, they were blinding, hot and unforgiving. When she finally,  _finally_  freed herself, Sansa stood there in the cubicle staring at her flushed reflection. The image of herself staring back wore nothing but miss-matched underwear and ankle boots, her hair was in disarray from her wrestling match with the garment that was now tossed upon the floor. She dejectedly blew a strand of copper out of her eyes and took in the woman before her.  _How did it come to this?_  She wondered.  

She wasn't meant to be here, at Mockingbird Department Store, late on Christmas eve of all days. She was  _meant_  to be halfway home to Winterfell by now, but then she'd  _heard the news._ Her ex, Joffrey was back in her hometown with his new wife. Not only that, but keeping with a tradition between their two families, they may be coming along on the annual Stark-Baratheon après Christmas dinner country walk and Sansa hated to admit that she was twisted up in all kinds of knots over it.

It wasn't that she wanted him back or anything - _Gods no!_ \- but in the past 2 years since they'd broken up, Joffrey had gotten engaged, married  _and_  she'd heard through the grapevine that he'd gotten a promotion at work; whereas Sansa...well, Sansa...let's just say that Sansa's life was going through a dry spell and she just really wanted to look her best - to show him that she was doing fine - no, to show him that she was doing  _great! -_ To turn up on that walk as Sansa Stark; a full blown 10! She scrutinised herself in the mirror again.  _Right now I feel like a 2 at best._

Sansa contemplated the pile of rejected clothes on the stool, then the crumpled mass of dress on the floor as well.  _Hmmm...it is sexy...probably too sexy for a walk in the countryside...wouldn't go great with welly boots - welly boots! I need to remember to pick up some nicer ones!_ Sansa sprung into action, trying to clumsily hang all her rejected clothes back onto all the wrong hangers. Luckily, Mockingbird Department Store sells almost _everything_  under one roof. She's bound to find some nice boots that would put her old muddy ones she keeps back home to shame. After deciding that her efforts are futile with the hangers, she tries dressing instead, almost stumbling out from behind the curtain of her cubicle as she hops to shove her long legs into her tight skinny jeans. Then the lights go out.

"Errr....hello?" she calls into the darkness. She gets no answer other than silence. It's then that Sansa realises the repetitive festive songs have been turned off....and she can't hear anyone else trying on clothes, or walking about talking in the store beyond. "Hello?" she calls again before yanking up her jeans and doing the button and zip. Fumbling in the darkness for what she suspects is her own sweater, Sansa pulls it over her head and blindly feels around for her bag. Inside she manages to fish around for her phone, pulling it out to look at the time. 6:02pm.  _Surely they haven't closed the store with me in it?!_

* * *

 

"I can't believe this is bloody happening!" Sansa mutters down her phone to her mother, her fingers curled around the metal security shutters on the inside of the Department Store's main entrance. "They've locked me in!  _At Christmas!_  I'm locked in!" Sansa rattles the shutters for emphasis.

"Don't worry darling! Your father is on the phone trying to get someone down there to come let you out. Everything will be fine!" Catelyn Stark reassured. "If I were you, I'd take the liberty of going and pilfering the food section of that store! They do lovely desserts!"

"Mother, that's stealing."

"Consider it compensation for locking you in, darling," Catelyn said with a chuckle.

Sansa smiled into her phone, "Alright Mum, speak to you later and hopefully see you soon!"

Sansa pocketed her phone and decided to take her mother's advice. She could really use a delicious pick-me-up right now!

The food department was on the second floor so Sansa trudged up the motionless escalator, mentally cataloguing all the delicious items she knows for a fact that they sell here. She has one foot firmly planted on the top step when she hears it - some distant noise.  _Singing?_

_I'm not alone! It has to be a staff member! I'm saved!_

Sansa's pace quickens as she follows the notes of a slightly scratchy singing voice in the air.  _It's a man_ , she thinks, and conjures up an image of a security guy making his rounds before the whole building shuts down for Christmas. The voice sounds closer as she nears the aisles of food, although what he's actually singing she can't quite discern, the words are mumbled and run into one another, and at some points he hums or whistles.

"Hello?" Sansa calls out, walking past aisles, her head turning this way and that in an attempt to find the source of the awful singing. "Hello?!" she tries again, a little louder this time. "Hel-" Sansa stands stock still once she sees the owner of the mumbling, and whistling, and humming. He has his back to her, his hair is a mop of inky curls all trying to reach out in different springy directions. He bobs his head to a beat she can't hear and continues with his terrible song as he's walking along the aisle, pushing a shopping cart with a jacket slung over it. 

_He's...he's not a security guard._

If the lack of uniform hadn't tipped her off, then the fact that he was currently loading up his cart with a case of beer would have been a clear indicator.

"Hello?" she shouts for a third time, her voice bouncing around the drinks aisle. "Excuse me!...Hey!" It was no use, the man continued to hum to himself as he picked up another crate of clinking bottles. Sansa started walking up to him, a little distracted by the play of the muscles in his arms as he lifted the crate from the bottom shelf and planted it in his cart. "Hey" she said loudly, finally tapping him on the shoulder. The man startled a little as he turned to face her -  _and Gods, what a face!_  - his storm grey eyes widened from behind his wire-framed glasses and his cheeks flushed a little above his beard. Sansa's heart stuttered a little before it seemed to have soothed itself back into a regular rhythm.

"Sorry" the man said, reaching up and removing his earbuds, revealing the quiet tinny music escaping from the speakers. "Was I singing along?" Sansa opened her mouth and sucked in a breath, but her voice was held captive so the mystery man in front of her deemed it his job to fill the silence. "I tend to do that when I'm in a world of my own. It's terrible, I know. My flatmate just throws a book at my head or something to shut me up and-...sorry I'm waffling at you, um..." he took a breath, his cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. "Wh-what was it that you wanted?"

Sansa scrunched her brow and forced herself to remember the situation they were in, "what are you doing here?"

"Err...grabbing some beer" he said, now wearing the same expression of confusion as Sansa as he indicated to the crate in his cart. "I only live a block away and I heard that the stor-"

"No, I mean what are you doing here after the store has closed?"

"The store's closed?" the man queried, taking a look at his watch. "But it's only 6:30, isn't it normally open til 8pm?"

"Yeah, I thought so too, but" Sansa waved her phone at him, "5pm on Christmas eve, according to their website."

"So....we're...locked in?"

"Mmm-hmm" she confirmed with a nod, "but don't worry, my Dad's on the phone to the owner or something. Someone should be by to let us out soon."

"Oh good" the man bobbed his head, "that's good."

An awkward silence flooded into the space between them as Sansa continued to nod to herself and the man rocked back on his heels.  _"I'm Sansa"_  she exclaimed at exactly the same time as the handsome man blurted " _I'm Jon,_ " thrusting his hand out in greeting. Sansa felt her cheeks heat and was sure that her blush probably now matched his. "Hi Jon" she smiled as she took his hand, suddenly feeling a little shy. "I was in the middle of trying clothes on in the changing room when the lights went off" she told him, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb. "I had to fumble around to find the switches but I managed to get all the lights back on."

"Oh! Is that what that was? I just thought it must have had something to do with the storm."

"What storm?"

"The snow storm. It's not meant to hit until later tonight but...I don't know, I reckon it's coming sooner, it's pretty rough out there already and I just figured-"

It was the uncomfortable swooping feeling in Sansa's gut that propelled her feet to start walking more than anything else. She'd had a vague recollection of hearing about a snow storm, but her original plans had been to be almost home at Winterfell by now so she'd not paid too much attention to the forecast on the radio.

 _Shit shit shit,_  she chanted mentally as she hurried towards the department store's large windows, Jon now tagging along behind her, leaving his cart unattended in the drinks aisle.

Sansa sucked in a gasp when her eyes met the panes of glass and witnessed the swirling of white flakes dancing vigorously outside. Round and round they billowed, whirling so fast and in such a quantity that Sansa could barely see the street. "No, no, no" she whined, pulling out her phone from her pocket and dialling her father's number.

* * *

 

"Why were you getting beer this late on Christmas eve?" Sansa murmured. Her and Jon had taken to wandering down to the main entrance where they sat on the floor together with their backs against the wall right next to the shuttered doorway. Waiting to be rescued...or not.

Jon shrugged. "I don't have anywhere to go for Christmas. We didn't have any beer in...what else was I gonna do?"

"You're going to be alone for Christmas?" Sansa asked, her heart thumping painfully at the thought.

"Yeah. It's no big deal. I mean, Sam had been invited to spend it with his girlfriend and her family and all the other guys have other places to be." He smiled at her then and something told Sansa that Jon was no stranger to being on his own. "I'm alright though. Just thought I could beat the storm and stock up... What about you? How come you were in here looking for clothes this close to Christmas?"

Sansa's chest hurt a little at the fleeting mental image of Joffrey and his happy new bride. She pursed her lips to stop from grimacing at the clawing pang any memory of her ex brought on. Sansa was about to lie through her teeth with an excuse of needing a last minute dress for a party or something when her phone started buzzing in her hand.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is that Miss Stark?"

"Yes."

"Miss Stark, my name is Petyr Baelish, the owner of Mockingbird's Department Store. I am terribly sorry to have inconvenienced you like this." 

Sansa snorted and put her phone on loudspeaker so that Jon could hear what Mr Baelish has to say too.  _"It's Petyr Baelish"_  she mouths to him, _"he owns Mockingbird's."_  Jon nods and they both huddle a little towards the phone as the man continued to talk.

"We are doing everything we can to make sure that someone gets to you as soon as possible Miss Stark, but the storm is making it very difficult."

"I'm aware of the storm, Mr Baelish." Sansa grumbled, swiping a frustrated hand down her face. " _When_  can you let us out, please?"

"Well, we're...wait a second, 'us'? I thought you were the only one locked in, Miss Stark."

"No, your staff did a pretty shit job at checking for customers before they fled the store Mr Baelish. There's two of us here."

"I see."

"When can you let us out?" Sansa huffed impatiently as she pictured the Christmas eve hot chocolate that her mother always made her - complete with whipped cream and little marshmallows.

"Well, we're trying to get through to a member of staff who is both a key holder and lives close to the store, however he doesn't seem to be picking up his calls at the moment. I shall keep trying Miss Stark, in the meantime, you may help yourself to some of our delicious pre-packed sandwiches that we have in store-"

Sansa took in a breath and was about to answer when Jon grabbed the phone from her hand. "I think you can do a little better than that, Mr Baelish," he said looking down at the screen in his hand. There was a few beats of silence before the man on the other end answered.

"And who am I talking to?"

"Jon Snow, Miss Stark's inmate being held captive in your store."

"I hardly think things are all  _that_  bad Mr Snow."

"Listen, _'Petyr'_  was it?"

"....Yes."

" _Petyr,_  we're stuck here because of the incompetence of your staff. We're still here two whole hours after these doors were locked and I just don't think that some  _'pre-packed sandwiches'_  are really going to cut it."

"...I see."

"So what I think you're going to offer to me and Miss Stark here is one of those big fancy Christmas hampers you've got displayed down here" Sansa followed Jon's eye-line to a neat stack of wicker hampers. One of them was displayed with an open lid, the contents arranged artfully so that it looked like an abundance of delicious foods was spilling out. There were high-end crackers and candies, artisan chocolates and expensive champagne, a collection of pickles and jams as well as a couple of bottles of vintage wine.

"Sir, those gift hampers contain goods worth over 300 dragons, I don't think that-"

"Oh and I'm sure you wouldn't mind us cracking open a couple of beers that I picked up earlier."

Jon turned to Sansa with a grin on his face as Mr Baelish spluttered on the other end of the line. Sansa tried to contain a giggle before grabbing Jon's arm and whispering "ask him if I can have a lemon meringue pie."

"And the lady wants a pie - a lemon meringue one to be precise. I'm sure that you won't mind making Miss Stark a little happier this evening, all things considered. It is Christmas after all, Petyr."

Sansa clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. They could practically hear Mr Baelish fuming down the line before he begrudgingly agreed to Jon's terms. He hung up the call with a curt  _'thank you'_  and a promise from Petyr that he would try to set them free as soon as possible - the risk of him losing any further expensive stock no doubt playing a huge part of the man's motivation. 

* * *

 

"This doesn't look good at all" Sansa commented as she braced her hands on the windowsill and watched the furious flurry of snow. It must really be starting to pile up out there now, but all she can see is the dark of the evening and the snowfall raging where the streetlamps illuminate it. It had been almost an hour since they'd spoken to Mr Baelish and still they were waiting for news of their release from his store.

"Well, at least we've got pie" Jon chipped in, one of the spoons they'd taken from the homewares department sliding out from his lips. Sansa's eyes followed the movement hungrily until her temporary daydream-induced paralysis shook into a giggle. Jon had a small blob of white meringue in his beard - right at the corner of his sinfully full lips, she might add.

"You've...you've got a little something..." she gestured to her own mouth that couldn't contain her wide grin. Jon turned a blotchy shade of embarrassment, twisting his torso away from her to wipe away his mess with his hand.

"Shall we open the bubbly next?" he coughed, eyeing up the remaining contents of the hamper.

"We need champagne flutes for that."

"I'll go get some" he grinned before heading off to find them.

Sansa watched him go, wondering if she should call her mother again. Flipping through the apps on her phone, she decides to take a browse through her Twitter feed that was full of seasonal cheer. A thought occurs to her and she hastily takes a selfie, the locked security shutters of the store in the background as she forces an over-the-top shocked expression for the camera.

 _'I can't believe it!...I'm locked inside Mockingbird's!...at Christmas!...HEEEEELP MEEEE!'_ she adds as a caption and posts the photo.

"I could only find them in packs of six" Jon calls out, raising the box of glasses in his hands as he nears her. Sansa pockets her phone and watches as he rips it open, placing two flutes on the windowsill before retrieving the champagne bottle from the expensive wicker hamper. Peeling back the foil, Jon effortlessly pops the cork in his hand to keep it from rocketing off and causing damage to a shop display.

"You're very calm about this whole thing" she muses, watching the fizz of the pale honey golden liquid fill the glasses.

Jon shrugs and offers Sansa her drink. "There are worse ways to spend Christmas eve."

A sharpness tugs at Sansa's stomach when she notices the gradual way Jon's smile fades, making her think that perhaps he's had his share of festive sadness over the years. Taking a sip from her drink she turns towards the window once more, violent winds churn white flakes in the dark air outside. "This is good" she comments, taking a bigger sip the second time around, relishing the bubbles and rich taste that coats her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Jon nod in agreement as his head is tilted upwards, the last of his champagne tipping into his mouth.

* * *

 

"Ok, we might as well make the most of this," Jon says with determination as he reaches for a shopping cart, "what do you need to make this a little less painful?"

Sansa shook her head and wiped away the wetness of her hot, frustrated tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry I reacted that way, it's just I've never not woken up on Christmas morning at home with my family and it's just...I'm just...being silly, I guess."

_Gods Sansa, get a grip!_

"Hey" Jon said, his voice soft as he comforted Sansa with a light brush of his hand on her upper arm, "you're not being silly. I get it. This isn't ideal - being stuck overnight with a complete stranger on Christmas eve, but I promise you, we can try to make it fun." He smiled warmly at her, making Sansa feel a little off-balance.

It was official, they were snowed in. They'd taken a rather apologetic call from Baelish who reaffirmed Sansa's fears; it was too dangerous for anyone to come and let them out of the store. Jon took the call after a shocked Sansa went quiet, making sure that Mr Baelish was aware that for compensation he will be providing them both with whatever goods from his stock they needed, for however long they were stuck there. After that she had called her mother and shed a tear or two when realisation struck that she couldn't be with her family that night. "I'm sorry Jon" she repeated, "it's just my family...well they...they  _go big_  on Christmas and-"

"We can  _go big_  too" he smiled, wrapping his hands around the handle of the cart, "what do we need to make this happen?"

A quick hiccup of laughter escapes her as Sansa sniffs back any further unbidden sadness. "Cozy pyjamas," she declares with a smile, "cozy pyjamas and fuzzy slippers, to start with."

"Alright then. To the clothing department."

Sansa picks out a pink set of soft flannel PJs, complete with a pattern of dancing penguins on the pants. She almost squeals when Jon finds a matching pair of penguin slippers for her, but manages to rein in her excitement just in time.  _Easy Sansa, don't be an idiot._ She does, however let a gasp escape when she finds a rack of men's onesies - a few of which were festively themed. 

"Oh no you don't," Jon said whilst shaking his head, realising what Sansa was admiring, "there's no way I'm wearing a reindeer onesie."

Sansa pressed her lips together but admitted defeat rather quickly, not yet feeling comfortable enough to plead with Jon to 'get into the spirit' and all that. "Will you choose some PJs?" she asks, gesturing to the wall of men's sleep and casual wear "I don't want to be the only one wearing them."

Jon's lips curve upwards affectionately. "Of course," he says before making a show of his selection.

* * *

Sansa stared at her reflection in the over-the-sink mirror.  _This was definitely not how I had pictured my Christmas eve,_  she thought as her eyes snagged on the putrid pink toilet cubicle doors behind her. She'd taken her chosen pyjamas and slippers, snaffled a pack of hair ties from the accessories section and shuffled off to the women's restrooms to change and freshen up a bit after her little spell of emotion.

Pulling out her phone she was surprised to see a huge amount of notifications on her Twitter app. 

"Oh my god" she gasps, realising that her tweet about being locked in overnight was a trending post. Her tweet was nearing a thousand retweets and a wall of comments.

_Oh my god! Help her @Mockingbirds_stores!_

_Free the hottie!_

_Oh no! Locked in and alone at Christmas!_

_I would totally be demanding some serious compensation for this @Mockingbirds_stores_

_At least she's not getting bored in there. They've got a huge books and entertainment department at @Mockingbirds_stores_

_HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! @Mockingbirds_stores_

_#FreeTheHottie #LetHerGo #LockedInAtChristmas #MockingbirdsCaptive_

Smiling to herself, Sansa took another selfie, her hair now scraped up into a messy bun. She posted it with the caption _'It's official: spending Christmas locked in! Thanks for the PJs @Mockingbirds_stores'_

Grabbing her clothes and other belongings, she made her way out of the restrooms and wandered about trying to find Jon. Sansa couldn't decide whether or not she enjoyed the out-of-place feeling of walking through a store wearing pyjamas, it was not unlike that odd feeling of displacement she would get when she was young and her parents would visit her school. She could hear a scraping noise on the floor above so she clutched her clothes tightly and made her way to the lift, her penguin slippers slapping on the walkway between racks of clothes.

"What are you doing?" she asked after finding him in the aisle between the furniture and electronics departments, shifting what looks to be a two seater sofa.

"Trying to make this evening more tolerable for you" he answered with a grunt. Sansa couldn't help but admire the flex of his arms and shoulders as he shunted the couch across the floor. He had changed into some red plaid pyjama pants and a soft grey t-shirt. She tried and failed to stifle a giggle when she saw that he too wore some penguin slippers. He looked up at her then, his eyes sweeping up and down the length of her body briefly before returning her grin. "How the hell do you walk in these things anyway?"

"You'll get used to it" she said, dumping her clothes on the sofa and moving to the other end to grip the armrest and back, "they look cute...where are we going with this anyway?"

"Over there," Jon nodded towards the back of the technology department. There was a wall full of mounted TVs on display, each one of them currently black apart from showing a Mockingbird's Strores logo bouncing back and fourth on the screen. Once they got there, Jon arranged the couch in front of the largest screen where it looks like he'd already dragged one of the store's display Christmas trees, complete with fake wrapped presents waiting underneath. 

Sansa stood back and smiled at the little setting he'd laid out. It almost looked like a normal lounge - if you didn't let your gaze wander too far and catch sight of the shelves of multiple microwaves or display of vacuum cleaners, or even further over to the furniture department to the rows of beds and the arrangement of dining tables. "This is really sweet of you, Jon. Thank you." 

"It's nothing," he shrugged, flopping down on the couch "definitely a story to tell down the pub when we get out."

"Speaking of  _'telling the story',"_ Sansa said, whipping out her phone and taking his photo, "people are eating this up on Twitter!" She sat down next to him and shared her screen as she flipped to the app. "I've never had such a popular post!" Jon only nodded, seemingly nonplussed.

 _'At least I've got company!'_ Sansa typed out and then posted the photo of Jon looking relaxed on the store couch in his pyjamas with the tree and a rack of phone accessories in the background.

"I think we need a rug" Jon said, looking at the bare ugly carpet tiles at their feet.

Sansa nodded in agreement. "And maybe some side tables and a lamp?"

Jon smiled back at her, "excellent suggestion. Let's go shopping." 

* * *

 

"Mmmm" Sansa groaned appreciatively around the mouthful of cookie. "They've got nothing on my Mum's homemade triple choc chunk, but these are pretty goo- what?" she asked through her chewing as she noticed that Jon was gaping at her. He cleared his throat and looked away.

"Nothing."

 _Probably got something on my face_ , Sansa thought as she placed the remainder of the cookie on the coffee table that Jon had dragged over. She brushed her mouth with her hands and then sucked any remnants of melted chocolate chips from her fingers. Jon shifted in his corner of the sofa.

"So what next?" he croaked before clearing his throat again. "We've got cookies and hot chocolate, what else do you usually do at home on Christmas eve?"

They'd managed to find some luxury instant hot chocolate from the food section, teaming it with whipped cream and a bag of marshmallows, as well as making use of a coffee-maker from the electrical department. Sansa had chosen a red mug with a reindeer on it, she'd picked out a matching one in green for Jon. About to answer that they normally drink and play board games, her phone began to buzz on the coffee table, making it dance along the surface. She gave Jon an apologetic look as she saw it was her friend Margaery calling. Getting up, she silently excused herself and started wandering through the aisles of products as she answered the call.

" _What the fuck is going on?!_  " Margaery hissed as soon as Sansa answered. "You're stuck at Mockingbird's over Christmas?! And who is that hot guy?! Where have you been hiding him?!"

"Calm down Marge!" Sansa whispered into her phone, glancing back at Jon in front of the wall of TV screens as she continued to explain the situation.

"Sansa, you've gone viral!" her friend exclaims. "The hashtag _'LockedInLovers'_  is trending on twitter!"

" _What?!_  That's  _not_  what's happening here. I only just met him a few hours ago!"

"And yet there you are cozying up in sleepwear, darling. People are just calling it as they see it."

"It's...that's not..." Sansa spluttered.

"He is rather attractive though, no?" Margaery asked with a teasing lilt to her voice. Sansa hesitated as she chewed at her bottom lip. She heard Marge snicker quietly into the phone line.

"Alright,  _yes_ , Jon is very attractive," she huffed in a hushed tone, "and sweet and considerate. Alright? But that doesn't mean anything!"

Margaery chuckled knowlingly. "If you say so."

After finishing her call she returned to Jon's little makeshift 'lounge area'. "So we might need to set the internet straight."

"That sounds like a mammoth task," Jon quips, taking a slurp of his hot chocolate and wiping the cream from his top lip.

Sansa blinked before her mind caught up with herself. "Well, since I posted that photo of you, people seem to think we're a...they think we're together or...hooking up, or something." Jon's eyebrows rose. "I just didn't know if there was anyone out there that you might not want to see that...like a girl...or a guy...or someone who you like that would...err..." Gods! She felt like an an idiot" "I just don't want people to get the wrong idea." Sansa huffed finally.

Jon seemed to regard her for a moment or two and Sansa desperately wanted to unlock the thoughts that seemed to run through his mind at the moment.  _He's probably thinking of someone. Of course he's thinking of someone! Don't get your hopes up Sansa, just because he's sweet and hot and-_

"Ok"

"Ok?"

"Ok, how do we set the record straight for the good people of twitter?" Jon said with a muted smile.

"Oh!...I guess I'll make another tweet to clear things up" she said, ignoring the niggle-like gnaw in her chest. Sansa produced her phone and sat next to Jon, "lets take a selfie together" she said, urging him to huddle in view of her outstretched phone.

"What are you going to say?" Jon asked after posing with a smile over Sansa's shoulder.

"That this is Jon - we were strangers and now we're friends. No funny business" she answered as she typed out the tweet.

Jon was silent beside her before making a small noise of agreement. "Hey" he said as he stood, "wanna watch a movie? There's DVDs in the entertainment section."

* * *

 

After selecting  _'It's a Wonderful Life'_  and procuring a couple of fleece throw blankets due to the store's plummeting temperature, Sansa and Jon settled down with some more snacks they'd grabbed from the food aisles. The cozyness of their little set up was at odds with the huge store floor and seemed weirdly intimate. Sansa had to shake back thoughts of falling asleep against Jon's body here on the couch with the film playing on.

"I think this is the weirdest thing to have ever happened to me," Sansa mentioned as the credits for the DVD rolled up the huge screen in front of them.

"I died once," Jon replied, almost nonchalantly.

Sansa choked on the dainty sip of lemonade she was taking from a large family size bottle. "What?!" 

"Yeah...I was in a car accident and...well, I flat-lined for a while as they tried to resuscitate me. The docs were going to call it, but apparently I gasped back to life and...here I am."

Sansa blinked at him, her mouth hung loosely. "Oh my Gods!" Jon leant forward and nabbed one of the little crackers shaped like a Christmas tree they'd found, he popped the whole thing in his mouth and nodded as his jaw worked on the snack. "What...what was it like?" she asked tentatively.

Jon finished his chewing and swallowed. "It's hard to remember really," he furrowed his brow as he seemed to concentrate on the coffee table in front of him. "There was no bright light or beacon calling to me, if that's what you mean, but...well, it was  _warm_."

"Warm?"

"Yeah...not like being scorched in the blazing sun kind of warm, but warm like being wrapped up under soft blankets. Like feeling comforted and protected from the cold outside...it was" Jon shook his head then, some ease seeping from his bones and off away from him, "sorry, this is a weird thing to talk about isn't it?" 

"No, not at all!"

Jon looked her in the eye and Sansa found that she couldn't tear her gaze away from him if she'd tried. "I've never told anyone that before - what it was like," he smiled before turning to look away and running a hand through the curls on his head. "I hope it was like that for my Mum," he said almost to himself.

Sansa had deduced from their conversations that Jon may not have much family, but to hear it confirmed with such simple, sorrowful hope made her ache so keenly that she was clutching at her chest before she even realised it.

"I'm sure it was," she croaked, placing a hand on Jon's knee. He glanced down at her touch and then up to her face, an expression of concern flashed over his features as Sansa realised she must be glassy-eyed with as yet un-shed tears. Sure enough, her vision started to cloud.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you!" Jon offered remorsefully.

"No, no!" Sansa sniffed, wiping furiously at her eyes, "don't you apologise! Please!" Jon gave her small smile that held appreciation laced around the edges before he picked up the stack of DVD's they'd brought over and began reading the back of one of them. "Jon," Sansa ventured after a little while of silence, "I'm really sorry about your Mum."

Even though they'd known each other for less than 24 hours, Sansa thought she saw fondness in his answering gentle expression. "Thank you, Sansa." he said softly.

"I'm glad that I met you."

Jon's smile widened, "I'm glad too."

There was a strange charge between them then. The air was laced with electricity and the oddness of their situation. Jon's gaze dropped to Sansa's lips before he coughed and stood, his blanket falling to the floor. "I'm just going to...get the stuff we might need for the night...you know, toothpaste, toothbrushes, phone chargers that sort of thing."

"Ok" Sansa replied as her own phone buzzed on the table. It was a text...

_**Marge:**  Have you seen Twitter?!_

Sansa scrunched her brows together and proceeded through to the social media app.

_OMG! The #LockedInLovers are soooo cute together!_

_"We were strangers and now we're friends. No funny business" - well that sounds like beginning of nearly every fanfic I've ever read! Which chapter do I have to skip to to get to the smut?_

_#LockedinLovers I ship it. BIG TIME. What's the ship name? Sanson? Jonsa?_

_You're not fooling anyone #LockInLovers_

_I bet they're testing out the beds in the furniture department rn. Better do a thorough clean of them sheets @Mockingbird's_stores #LockedInLovers #Jonsa #MockingbirdsLockIn_

_HOLY SHIT! Jon is so hot! If Sansa's not taking a bite - send him my way!_

_Me: I'm done with shipping! I will not ship anything from this day forth! #LockInLovers: *happens*, Me: DAMN IT!_

_#LockedInLovers is so happening guys! I can feel it in my shippy heart! #JonsaIsComing_

The comments went on and on and way further. Sansa stopped scrolling in the end. Her heart fluttered but she could not decipher whether the feeling was welcome or not as she stared blankly ahead.

"Ok, not knowing your prefernce, I grabbed spearmint and peppermint toothpaste" Jon announced as he dumped a shopping basket next to the coffee table and plonked himself back on the couch next to a stunned looking Sansa. "Do you wanna watch another movie or...hey? You alright?"

She turned to him with a concerned crease on her forehead. "We're a ship" she whispered, clutching her phone to her chest. 

"We're a what?"

"A ship," she clarified, "they're calling us 'Jonsa' or 'Locked-In-Lovers' or something like that but...it's all over Twitter!" Her phone buzzed in her hand again, signalling another text, swiftly followed by three more.

_**Marge:**  YOU TWO ARE ON THE NEWS!_

_**Mum:**  Are you alright darling? We just saw your story on the news. They used that photo that you posted on tweeter or whatever it's called. You look lovely. That young gentleman looks nice too. I hope you are comfortable in the store tonight. We all miss you and can't wait to see you. Mum xxx_

_**Jeyne:**  Are you dating that hottie in the PJs?_

_**Arya:**  I've been to that store. Condoms are in toiletries aisle - should be enough to last you until you're set free lol_

Sansa dropped her phone into her lap and covered her face to groan into her hands. "I'm so sorry Jon! I tried to make it better but I've only made it worse!"

* * *

 

"So run me through this again," Jon said sitting down on the springy bed that Sansa had chosen for herself, "people on the internet -complete strangers, who know neither of us- think that we're together as a couple?"

"Yeah, sort of," she replied, peeling back the duvet and sliding under, plumping up the pillows so she could sit up and talk to Jon for a bit longer, "or they  _want_...you know... _that_  to happen."

"Riiiight" Jon commented, nodding as he contemplated the whole concept.

"It's a bit like wanting characters in a film or book to be together."

"Yeah, but we're not characters from a book."

"No, but that's not going to stop them-" Sansa paused as a thought came unbidden from the depths of her youth. Back in the day, she was quite fond of the Duncan and Jenny stories and may have even written a few  _'Jencan_  fan fics herself. Her thumbs furiously typed 'Jon x Sansa fan fiction' into Google's search bar. "Oh no" she whined, scrubbing her hand down her face.

"What is it?"

"There's _fanfiction_."

"There's what?"

" _8 of them already!_  I only posted that photo of you a few hours ago - what is wrong with people?!"

"Hang on, there's 8 of _what_?"

Sansa shoved her phone into Jon's hand and buried her face in her own. "I'm so sorry Jon" she mumbled. 

"Wha-" Jon proceeded to scroll and tap, pausing to read with a crease to his brow for a while as Sansa watched with a grimace, hoping that he wouldn't be angry about it. "Wow! That's...um...some of this is quite... _graphic_ " he flushed.

 _"What?"_ she asked, snatching back her phone, desperately trying to read the text on the screen.

 

_Sansa's legs wrapped around Jon's waist as he lifted her, their lips still fused in a hungry kiss. He walked her past the racks of clothing and over to the display of dining tables, sitting her on the edge of the nearest one. "Lay back" he whispered into the skin of her neck. Sansa complied, her fiery hair splayed out around her._

_"What are you doing?" she giggled as Jon started to leave wet kisses and scrapes of teeth down her body._

_"Product testing."_

_"Product testing?"_

_"Yes," he grinned up at her, "this is a dining table. And I'm awfully hungry right now." The light in his eyes made her restless, the heat from his body atop of hers made her burn for him and glancing at his sinful lips caused her to bite her own. "Open you legs, Sansa" he rasped._

 

"Oh my Gods!" Sansa exclaimed, her face feeling overheated. "I'm so sorry!  _Oh Gods!_ "

"There was another one where apparently they wrote us having sex either  _in_  or  _on_  a shopping cart?...I'm really not sure how that works." Sansa blinked up at Jon in confusion. "You know," he continued, "...because of the wheels?...and just the general mechanics of it. I really don't think they thought that one through."

"You aren't upset about this?" Sansa gaped.

"Not really," Jon shrugged.

"And...there's no one out there that  _might_  get upset at this?" Sansa asked hopefully.

"No, there's no one...is there...anyone for you?"

"No," she answered honestly, "although my sister will delight in teasing me and I'll keep my fingers crossed that my parents aren't going to suddenly take an interest in the internet."

Jon's answering laugh was quiet and soft, his eyes crinkled at the corners before his expression turned a little more concerned. "Are  _you_  upset by it?"

"...No...I mean, it's a little embarrassing to think of people imagining... _those_  things. But no, I'm not upset."

"Good" Jon smiled and patted the top of the duvet draped across Sansa's bed. "I'm going to choose a bed and get some sleep."

Sansa nodded and began to get herself comfy as she heard Jon bouncing on a couple of beds before settling on a bed that was just one along from hers. He jogged off to the main light switch panel at the other end of the floor and one by one all the lights shut off, leaving only an eerie glimmer from the 'exit' sign above the doors that lead to the stairwell. Jon padded back with the use of a torch he'd picked up in advance and Sansa heard the covers from his chosen bed for the night rustle in the dark as he got comfortable. She turned around to see an electronic glow illuminating Jon's face from his phone before she closed her eyes and wondered if she'll be able to get some sleep in this strange situation she found herself in.

"Goodnight, Jon" she mumbled.

"Goodnight, Sansa."

Sansa rolled back over to her other side. She opened her eyes and could see the gleam of the button to call for the lift at the other end of the floor. Sansa huffed and plumped her pillow as thoughts of her comfy bed at home crept into consciousness.

"Oh!" Jon suddenly exclaimed into the dark, "apparently we put the brakes on the wheels and I bend you over the cart."

Sansa threw a pillow at him before bursting into a fit of giggles.

* * *

 

"It's not looking likely any time soon I'm afraid," Jon said the following morning as he wandered back to where Sansa was sat on their little couch, swaddled in fleece blankets. He pocketed his phone and sat down beside her "Mr Baelish said they might be able to get us out tonight if the snow clears enough." 

"Ok...so Christmas day in Mockingbird's then, I guess."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

Sansa took in the man sat beside her and realised that she wasn't all that upset at the prospect. "We can make it work," she said with a smile.

"We can make it work," he beamed back.

Sansa gathered a breakfast of pastries and bucks fizz for them both as Jon grabbed a coffee machine and toaster, as well as finding some electrical sockets to use them. They sat at one of the dining tables and Sansa had to actively try to ignore the memory of  _that_  smutty fan fic someone had written of them. She decided to artfully arrange her plate of pretty pastries and took a photo to post and let the world know that herself and Jon had survived the night. The comments and retweets starting pouring in almost instantly. Sansa rolled her eyes and huffed before placing her phone face down on the table.

"We should get presents" Jon mumbled through chewing a pain au chocolat.

"Presents?"

"Yeah," he swallowed, "for each other. It's Christmas right? We could find something for each other from the store."

Sansa couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face. "I like that idea."

In the end they'd decided on a 20 dragon limit each for their present, otherwise Sansa had had images of them both gifting each other flat-screen TVs and she somehow doubted that Mr Baelish would go for that. She freshened up and dressed in the women's toilets again and began perusing potential gifts for Jon, letting out a giggle when her eyes landed on the reindeer onesie he'd refused the previous evening.

She spied Jon grab a roll of wrapping paper from the gift wrap section - silver with penguins on, as she ducked out of sight with the onesie draped over her arm along with another small gift she'd picked out. They wrapped their presents and returned to the electronics department to place them under their tree, next to their cozy little couch.

"Oh hey, I found this on my travels around the store" Jon said, thrusting a book into her hands.

"Make delicious meals in the microwave?" Sansa read the title and then scrunched her brow back at him.

Jon shrugged, "it's the only means we have to cook any food" he gestured to the wall of microwaves on display, "we've got to have Christmas dinner, haven't we?"

Sansa flicked through the pages of the book and chewed her at her lip. "Well, I guess we can give it a go."

* * *

 

"Wow" Jon exclaimed as he brought over the last of the hot food, his hands gloved in protective oven mitts. Sansa had to admit that the table did look impressive. The food was nothing compared to a proper Christmas feast, what with cold cuts replacing the crowning roasted meat, but they's managed to cobble together some ready mashed potatoes and cook some vegetables and stuffing too. At one point they'd had 7 microwaves all working at once. The middle of the table overflowed with luxury condiments and other trimmings as well as decorations that Sansa had snatched from the seasonal aisle. Jon popped the cork on the champagne and filled their glasses full of bubbles.

"Do you know what?" Sansa stood back and admired their handiwork, "this doesn't look half bad."

"You haven't tasted it yet" Jon quipped as he picked up his fork to begin loading his plate. Sansa had chosen the fanciest set of crockery she could find, it was gleaming white with a gold trim.

"Hold on!"

Jon paused, his fork hovering over the mashed potatoes. Sansa sat down in her plush leather dining chair and scooted it closer to Jon before holding out her phone as she leant in for a selfie with him. "Smile!" Sansa grinned down at the photo after she'd taken it and showed Jon before posting it on Twitter.  _'Merry Christmas from Jon and Sansa! #LockedInFRIENDS'_

Once they'd had their fill of their feast, Jon got up and wandered back with a small box wrapped in silver paper with penguins on. "Merry Christmas, Sansa" he said sheepishly, pushing it across the table to stop in front of her.

"Oh!" Sansa gasped after she'd torn open the wrapping paper and opened the lid to the box. Glinting up at her were a pair of silver snowflake earrings with stunning aquamarine blue stones in the centres. "Jon, these are beautiful!"

"They match the colour of your eyes" Jon blurted before his neck flushed a vivid pink.

"Thank you" Sansa beamed as she tilted her head to put them in, suddenly feeling that her own gift for Jon was rather lacking in comparison. She went to retrieve the present that she'd wrapped in paper that looked like red tartan and had topped it off with a big loopy green bow. "I...you don't have to wear it" she said as Jon tore into the paper, barking out a laugh as he held up the onesie.

"Maybe I'll model it for you" he said, folding it up, "as long as you don't capture it on camera and tweet about it."

"Deal" Sansa beamed before nodding towards the discarded wrapping paper, "did you see the other thing?" Jon fished around in the red and green until he pulled out Sansa's additional gift. 

"A cheque book?" he asked, his brows knit together in curiosity.

"A favour cheque book" Sansa clarified, "I found it in the novelty gifts section...I've filled in your first cheque for you." Jon opened the long book in his hands and couldn't seem to stop the smile from creeping onto his face.

"This cheque entitles the bearer to one home cooked meal at the residence of Miss Sansa Stark. To be cashed at any time" he read aloud.

"No microwaves involved this time I'm afraid."

"Thank you Sansa. I'd like that very much." Jon closed the novelty cheque book and cleared his throat as he shuffled his chair closer to hers. "Um," he turned to her and gulped, his eyes falling to her lips as Sansa held her breath, her head and her heart skipping over the next possible steps. "So, tell me if I've got this whole thing wrong but...ah...can I..." he leant forwards, Sansa mirrored him in encouragement, his eyes were still locked on her mouth, "can I-"

"Mr Snow? Miss Stark?" came a sudden disembodied voice, floating up from the main entrance. Jon groaned and hung his head as Sansa's heart felt like it was desperately trying to flee the confines of her rib-cage. 

"It looks like we've been rescued" Sansa whispered hoarsely, staring at Jon's mouth.

"Yeah...yeah, it does."

* * *

 

"Oh stop moping will you?" Arya nudged Sansa by the shoulder as she practically fell onto the sofa next to her sister. "It's been what? A week? Are you still hung up over missing out on Christmas?"

"I didn't miss out" Sansa defended, "I actually enjoyed myself, funnily enough."

"According to some of those disgusting fan fics, yeah" Arya curled her lip in disgust.

Sansa rolled her eyes. "Not like  _that_...he was...sweet."

"Ah-huh" Arya mumbled with disinterest as she scrolled on her phone. "Why don't you text him?"

Her sister groaned and threw herself back against the couch cushions. "Because we didn't actually exchange numbers."

"Find him on facebook then."

"He's not on facebook...or twitter, or instagram, or whatsapp, or-"

"Jeez, does this guy even exist?"

Sansa huffed and turned to gaze out of the window, the snow continued to fall, but whereas it had been a manic flurry a week ago, it had slowed to a gentle fall of fat fluffy flakes. She fingered the earrings that Jon had given her.

"Sansa?" Arya broke her out of her daydream with a painful elbow to her ribs.

"Ow! What?"

"Are you sure he doesn't have twitter?"

"Yes, I checked and-" the words stuck in her throat as Arya shoved her phone into Sansa's hands. On the screen was a tweet from an account called @microwave_chef. The post consisted of a photo of the cheque that Sansa had filled out for Jon's gift and the caption _'@SansaStark can I cash this in yet Miss Stark?'_

Sansa's smile grew until it began to hurt her cheeks. She hastily typed out a reply with her heart hiccuping all the while. Not even the comments and retweets could put a dampener on her mood.

_OMG! This ship ships itself! #LockedInLovers #Jonsa_

_They're so sweet it HURTS! #Jonsa_

_See! I told you all something was going on! #LockedInLovers_

_I feel inspiration for another fic coming on! #Jonsa_

_Jonsa is endgame._

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The following year Jon is invited to a Stark family Christmas as Sansa's boyfriend. They visit Mockingbird's Department Store (or as they call it, 'Our Store') on Christmas eve before the journey up. Sansa thinks that Jon secretly hopes for another lock in and wants to test out the 'mechanics' of bending her over a shopping cart.
> 
> Jon still reads Jonsa fan fics.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Ikea recommends...](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13552215) by [Queenofthebees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queenofthebees/pseuds/Queenofthebees)




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